Bits

[lenellenlen]

I'm finally having to break down and buy a new bit. I thought it would not be a confusing purchase. But good grief! ther's about a billion out there. Anyone out there with strong philosophies on this?

[HooverH]

What's your baby used to? Do they respond well to it? Do you have any concerns about them not stopping well, fighting, etc?

As a rule, the smooth bits are the gentlest, with the snaffle being a good starter/ training/ soft mouth bit. Snaffles come with levels of twist, and work partially on lip corner pressure, like most English bits.

Bits with ports, or a raised portion, are intended to help with control. The port comes up and pushes against the roof of the horses mouth in addition to the other parts of bit.

Western bits have shanks that work on leverage, pulling down on the horse's bars, or the gap in their mouth. The longer the shank, the more the severity.

The curb chain is another kind of control, it puts pressure under the horse's chin when the reigns are tightened.

There are a couple pleasure options, too. If your horse gets bored, there are different amounts of rollers they can tongue. Bits also come in sweet iron and sweet copper. Both encourage salivation and a soft mouth, and taste good so the horse may be more willing to take the bit.

*phew* That's about all I know. Determine the amount of severity and control you need, then go from there. What were you using? I use a sweet copper full-cheek snaff. It's extremely light in terms of severity, but Hoover has a nice soft mouth. I only use the full cheek to keep Hoove from pulling his headstall into his mouth and chewing on it, something he does when he's bored.

[Cera]

Do you ride english or western?

I agree with HooverH...keep your bit as gentle as possible. You cant go past a snaffle with either english or western as they are gentle and you should only be looking at something more if your horse needs it.

If your horse pulls or opens his mouth when you put pressure on the reins creating resistance then maybe look at keeping your bit gentle but look at a noseband that will help with control like a dropnose band or cavesson.

Try to stay away from chains etc as they are severe if used incorrectly and have actuallly been known to break a horses jaw if used heavy handed.

ps HooverH....you are using a great bit! :D